The ongoing adventures of a father who is finally finding the answers by dedicating himself to his family.

Monday, February 2, 2009

But Wait, There's More

Had another great day skiing and hit some milestones, as well. On Saturday we did our usual trip to Occom Pond, and I hate to admit this, but it lost a little of it's luster. I don't know why, but it just wasn't as fun, and the crowds were amazing. Must have just been a day to be out at the pond, but it was a little manic. It's hard to skate sometimes when there are so many people playing hockey, they seem to take over the ice. We were planning on going to Molly's with out three year old gift certificate, but the place was a zoo, so we went to our favorite place, Boloco, and weren't disappointed, as usual.

We were going to meet up with R&J at the pond, but they never showed up. Oh well, these things happen. We did see them at the Quechee Hill, however, and it was great to see them, though R was holed up in the lodge with Im. They're like us, doing the tag-team parenting thing, though they have the added burden of a baby. We also saw A's horse-riding teacher, who is an instructor, and our old neighbors. It's interesting her because she's (our old neighbor) always effusive about getting together, but I find it at times to be lip service, because in the end, she seems to have no interest in getting together, and it's somewhat redolent of "what have you done for me lately." I.e., she doesn't need us, so why bother. I base this assessment on the fact that, since we moved out and are no longer available to help out , she has completely blown us off, even after I'd made an effort to KIT with her. So I'll take it all with a grain of salt.

But wait, there's more. The biggest events were our kids' skiing. A is on fire, and close to being an independent skier, no longer needing mom or dad. She can ski down the chair lift like Bode Miller, and I think she's ready to try other trails. What really blew us away is that N just decided to try it, as well. And he nailed it, doing it a couple of times. I think our time on the rope tow is done.

Just goes to show you, you shouldn't rush kids. They'll do things on their own time, you just have to be patient. Besides, why is there such a need to make kids do things by a certain time? All these milestones that experts indicate to us all seem so contrived and arbitrary, but they serve all important purpose of making parents worry and feel guilt that they aren't doing their jobs. Most importantly, however, is that they make us spend our money on lessons, consultants, experts, and equipment/gear to get our kids up to speed. It's shameless, when you think about it, and though it's difficult, if not impossible, to completely remove yourself from it, I think it simply works to drive parents crazy and put a lot of unneccessary pressure on the kids to perform.

Kids will grow and develop and catch with up with their peers by themselves left to their own devices, it's just that we, the parents, feel an obligation to intervene.